She Was My Cure
by Pikmun
Summary: Emil's life is bleak. He doesn't believe in love, or any emotion for that matter. His views change when he meets a Latvian girl with a curious personality. Soon, he begins to develop... oh, no, no, that's not possible, love doesn't exist!
1. Chapter 1

_We are born to die. Every second of our lives we come closer and closer to sweet death. No one can escape it, though many have tried. We look at those who try to escape the confines of life and death as we look at those with grandiose delusions; they have hopes and dreams that surpass even my own imagination, but we deem them insane. Is it really so insane, to wish to escape? To see what others can't see, to view the world from the eyes of someone not yourself? Yes, yes it is. So we ground ourselves to this world and pray for something beyond death, pray for salvation. I believe that somewhere deep within us all, we know there is nowhere to go after death. We approach a long tunnel with a bright light at the end; we walk towards it, and in a flash... everything is gone. If we choose to walk the other way, where do we end up but again in the world of the living? There is nothing but that tunnel between life and death, and beyond it, there is nothing. Vastness. Emptiness. Life is not so different from death, or perhaps it's just my life. Nothing affects me. I don't smile, I don't cry. I don't feel joy or the rush of adrenaline from riding a roller coaster; I once used to, but perhaps my soul has moved on to death. Is my body not far behind?_

* * *

"Emil! It's time to go, get yer butt outta bed!" Piped a loud, energetic voice.

I don't want to move.

"I told you not to wake him. He won't like the show anyway, Mathias. I'll stay back and watch him." The boy spoke softly, seriously.

Why can't everyone just be quiet.

"Maybe we should all stay behind, we haven't seen him for almost a week now!"

I don't want visitors.

"Sorry Tino, we think too much company stresses him out... at this rate, we're going to have to bring him back to the hospital..." The first voice spoke again, this time sounding less cheerful, pain seeping through the tone of his voice. "I jus' don't know what to do to help him anymore..."

Silence. Just leave me alone...

"... I'm going to stay with him. You guys go. We'll be alright," said the second boy again, this time there were only murmurs of agreement. Soon after, a door shut, silence encompassed the house.

Footsteps approached Emil's room. Laying on his stomach, face in his pillow, he tilted his head to the side slowly, subtly. A violet eye peered out from the white sheets and pillows to see a stern, dirty blonde boy standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"If you keep this up, we won't have any choice but to bring you back," he said, face unchanging. "Our parents are going to take you out of school soon..." Emil only moved to hide his face in the pillows once more, the only sound escaping him was a sigh. "Don't give me that. The sooner you realize you have more control over this, the better. You aren't a puppet, Emil. No one controls you but you."

The white haired boy's mouth opened and he leaned up so he could speak. "You don't understand. Go away, Lukas."

"You know I understand. I understand better than you think," he sighed, furrowing his brows, "You also know I can't trust you alone."

"Then it's going to be a long day."

* * *

The hospital. Full of people who spoke a different language, only some of which could understand him. Cold rooms, small beds, thin pillows, and mushy food... Emil didn't want to return. Mathias had to help him change(Emil couldn't find his uniform...), but he found himself able to walk around the house easier than he'd thought. His muscles still ached and felt weak, but after some practice, Emil was out the door of the dorm and on his way to school with Mathias and Lukas.

Lukas was not speaking with him, but Emil could tell from the shocked expression on his normally blank face that he at least approving of him getting out of bed. Emil knew he had hurt Lukas, and it wasn't the first time his words had cut into his half brother. Perhaps I should be more careful. Should I apologize?

He never got the chance.

"Hey, is that... it is! Emil! Emil!" The voice was quiet, but firm and somewhat deep. Emil looked up, recognizing that voice instantly. Tino.

Emil didn't know what to say as the two blondes that shared the room next door, Berwald and Tino(they had a third roommate but Emil wasn't sure who he was), approached him. They were long time friends of his older brother and Mathias. Instead of words, he merely nodded at them, swallowing a growing anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

"We have gym first. Will he be okay?" The taller of the two, Berwald, spoke to Mathias directly. Emil found this annoying, but he understood it... Emil hadn't spoken to anyone but Lukas in a long, long while. He wouldn't have replied if Berwald had spoken to him directly anyway, which would have left them all in a silent awkwardness. Looking past the group of friends down the hall, Emil silently thanked Berwald; he'd been extra considerate these days.

Down the hall Emil saw a sight similar to what someone might see of him freshly walking out of his dorm. A boy, shorter than himself, with slightly curly strawberry blonde hair was surrounded by four others, just as he was. One was the tall, bespectacled roommate of Berwald and Tino(his name... was it Eduard?), the other was a brunette with longish hair, also tall. Lastly there was another blond, with straight hair and a somewhat sassy accent... Emil remembered running into him the first week of school, in the hallways. Feliks, right?

Emil wondered for half a second whether the boy had gone through something similar to his own situation, but then thought better of it. No one knew what it was like to deal with feeling absolutely nothing but pain. The other kid had probably just been sick.

On his way to school, Emil felt his shoulders hunch and gaze drop as he went on, getting stares from eyes that hadn't seen him in over a month. He'd been gone from school for so long that it wasn't a surprise people were in shock to see his familiar white hair. There was only one or two other people in the school that had similar hair colours, and one of them... well, Emil avoided him.

He met a similar situation when the teacher found him under his gaze in gym class, and throughout the day, many teachers congratulated him on being back in class... only then to give him a large amount of makeup work. Emil, by the end of the day, wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and forget he'd ever left.

Emil pushed himself even further that day; he went to the cafeteria for dinner. He ate, but still did not speak to anyone... a heavy tension hung in the air, for not Mathias or Lukas spoke either. Berwald rarely spoke, and so Tino help up the entire conversation by himself(he too wasn't very talkative, and mostly commented on the people passing by, saying 'look what so and so got, that looks good'). By the end of dinner, Emil further regretted his entire day, and left walking in a sluggish pace back to his room. He wanted to run, but he just didn't have the energy.

Emil wasn't prepared for the explosion between Lukas and Mathias when they stepped into the room after him.

"I told you it was a bad idea! But you went along with it anyway!" Emil had never heard Lukas yell. Ever. Emil jumped, and turned to face the two.

"I'm doing more than you ever have done for him! You call him your brother and yet you don't even try to get him out of the dorm!"

"Of course I do! He isn't ready, you idiotic piece of-"

"You always say that! What's he going to do, live in bed for the rest of his life?! Is that what you want?"

"What I want is-"

"Shut up! Shut up, both of you!"

He wasn't aware that the yelling that'd silenced Mathias and Lukas was his own. It felt disembodied, like a voice from nowhere. The red faces of Lukas and Mathias stared at him, a mix of betrayal, anger, and shock. He never spoke, let alone yelled, but here they were, yelling about him right in front of his face looking about to hit each other! Emil felt a pang in his chest and a broken cry passed his lips. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd pushed past Lukas(knocking him to the ground with force he didn't know he had) and was out the door.

He was already to the stairs when Mathias came running out after him, but Emil wasn't going to stop. He dashed out the exit at the bottom of the stairs, and he ran. He ran as hard and fast as his body would let him, and he didn't stop until his lungs were screaming for mercy.

No one was in sight. The only sound he heard was cars speeding by in the distance... he swore he heard his name being called to faintly. Emil panted, putting his hands on his knees- he coughed so hard he felt himself on the verge of retching, but managed to calm his body.

"Excuse me sir, are you alri- EEK!"

Emil had jumped so hard when he heard that voice what he'd made the girl speaking to him scream and jump in fear. He turned to face her, noticing she'd backed up quite a few steps and looked downright afraid of him. The colour had drained from her face.

She spoke again, "Very sorry, er- that was not my intention! Are- are you okay? You do not seem well- not that you look bad, but you look like you've been crying..."

Emil stared for a moment. The girl had no jacket on, her clothes looked a bit dirty as well. But looking past her bruised and scraped knees, Emil saw her long, blonde hair... it reached mid thigh- albeit she was short, but it was quite a feat for someone. Emil didn't catch himself staring until she spoke up again.

"... You look lost, sir. Would you like to sit down? There's a branch over there- ... I mean, bench? The wooden seats!" Red flushed her face; her English seemed a bit rough, and she kept calling him sir.

"Y..." Emil started, looking down at his feet, his voice suddenly lost. "Y-" He cursed to himself once more, cheeks reddening to match the girl's. "Yes!"

"... Really, it is not necessary to yell, sir," the girl furrowed a brow, looking a bit annoyed with him this time. "But let us go to sitting down. The 'bench' is over there." Pointing him in the right way, the girl walked back towards the bench. Had she been sitting there before..?

Emil followed, still blushing. He was busy forming excuse after excuse to give her for why he'd yelled- his voice was gone again. Focusing on his feet as they crossed the street over to the bench, Emil couldn't even get himself to apologize-

A screech of wheels, the blare of a horn, and a flash of blinding light... Emil felt himself hit the ground. His vision was blurred, spinning- where was he, again? The slamming of car doors hit his ears next, then an almost pathetic cry for help... there was a fight, he needed to move, get up and help the girl... she was so small-

Gunshots. Another scream. He heard his name being called... an engine roared and a car sped away.

* * *

**Hello and thank you for reading the beginning of "She Was My Cure"! I hope to continue this story and I hope you will enjoy it! **


	2. Chapter 2

_A screech of wheels, the blare of a horn, and a flash of blinding light... Emil felt himself hit the ground. His vision was blurred, spinning- where was he, again? The slamming of car doors hit his ears next, then an almost pathetic cry for help... there was a fight, he needed to move, get up and help the girl... she was so small- _

_ Gunshots. Another scream. He heard his name being called... an engine roared and a car sped away. _

Shaking. Someone was shaking him. They had a tight grip on his shoulders, almost painful... Emil clenched his jaw and opened his eyes, vision blurring for a few moments. It was... Mathias?

"What're you..."

"Lukas! He's awake! He's okay!" Mathias yelled instantly, Emil jumping in the other's hold.

"I told you not to move him!" Lukas' voice hissed lowly. "I'm calling an ambulance and the police, have him stay sitting down."

"Y-you can't call the police, they'll-" whose voice was this?

"You have a gun! A gun, we're calling the police and you're going to hand that over!" Mathias yelled this time. Emil felt Mathias slacken his grip on his shoulders; Mathias was turned around, glaring at the girl. Blood dripped down her right arm and leg, like she'd been hit forcefully by... by...

"Fuck! They hit us, someone hit us!" Emil squeaked, voice cracking in shock; no one laughed. "There was a gun, someone-"

"We know. We heard," Lukas cut him off. It was then Emil noticed he had a tight grip on the girl's wrist, but she wasn't struggling. Rather, she looked downright terrified; she was trembling violently. "Can we trust you not to run?" Lukas looked at her and asked, and the girl nodded. Her long blond hair had flecks of blood dampening it, mostly from a deep cut on her upper arm. Emil felt what colour was left in his face drain- she didn't want to police to come, but she needed medical attention, something to stop the bleeding... Lukas and Mathias only seemed concerned for Emil's wellbeing, and after Lukas had released the girl(who'd merely nodded in response to his question) he'd taken out his cellphone.

Emil didn't know why he did it. Something inside him... stirred. It wasn't something he had felt before, something he wasn't used to... he couldn't put a name to it, but... was he worried for the girl? He was skeptical, but... he objected to Lukas calling the police anyway.

"... Don't do it. She'll be in trouble. She was trying to defend us-"

"Emil, you were hit by a car, you were unconscious and you're bleeding," Emil took note of a stream of blood dripping down his own cheek, "You're in no state to tell us what to do." Lukas said, giving him a stern look. Emil bit his lip... what could he do? He just... couldn't let this girl get in trouble, he had to do something for her.

"Take me to the hospital then, and take her back to the dorm," Emil whispered, looking down. When he peeked back up after a long silence, he saw the girl staring at him with wide eyes. Mathias furrowed his brows, rubbing his forehead with a bloodied hand... In the distance they could hear the sound of a police siren.

"Wait here for the police with Emil, Lukas," Mathias said, voice low and solemn. "I'll take her back to the dorm, we can go in the fire escape."

"Tell the po-police that you weren't with anyone else! If they ask about the blood, s-say it was... a stray dog, it was walking with you-" she cringed and held her arm, stopping mid sentence. Lukas walked over at the same time Mathias did, switching places. Mathias looked the girl over, his face serious, cold... who was this girl? How did she get a gun into Germany, on campus of their academy? It was all too suspicious. Mathias though, he wasn't a cruel person. He saw the tears welling up in the eyes of the girl, and he took her hand.

"We're not too far from the dorm, lets go get you cleaned up- and quick!" The sirens were closing in on them, but Mathias tugged the girl to the side of the road and through the park, disappearing with her just as the green and white police cars appeared at the corner.

Fists clenched and knuckles white, the blonde girl whimpered as another hydrogen peroxide soaked cotton ball touched her wounded thigh.

"Hold still, hold still... almost done here, I got ya'. Ya' really ought ta' not be out so late at night alone, ya' know. Bad things happen ta' little girls," Mathias said, in an almost brotherly voice. He'd quelled his suspicions for the time being. It... wasn't worth scaring her into talking to him. He didn't need to know where she got the gun, she had only used it for self defense...

"I'm not- not little," she murmured, eyes squeezed shut as he finally decided to just pour the liquid over her wound. The liquid bubbled and fizzed; she gasped and instinctively reached out to grab Mathias' shoulder. He could feel her shaking.

Offering a friendly smile, the Dane spoke quietly, "Ya' sure look it. How old are ya'?"

"17, 17 in three months..."

"What?!"

She jolted, releasing his shoulder. "You're kiddin' me! I thought you were 12!"

"Well excuse you! I am not, I certainly am not 12!" a sort of fire seemed to have been reignited in the girl after being... well, insulted.

"Hey, don't blame me! You're mighty short, ya' know!"

"And your hair is awfully silly but you don't see me saying it's out of style!"

"Ya' just did!"

"Oh well excuse me, I'm sorry. I'm only 12, I don't know how to be polite!"

"Bull-"

They caught each other's eyes. Then laughed. A few moments laughed, and the girl looked him in the eye. "My name is Aija. Ah-ee-ya. I go to this school too."

"Ya' don't say? Not a fan of the uniform? You're supposed to wear it whenever you're on campus."

"It... is a long story, I would rather not explain just yet," when Mathias gave her a curious look, she explained, "Your friends will have the same question. I do not like repeating myself, I will wait until they return..."

"... I guess that's fair. But really... you should get rid of that gun before ya' get in trouble," Mathias said with concern in his voice. He'd only known her for a few moments, but.. she was interesting. Likable? No, not likable, she was actually a bit of a brat, but something about her just spoke to him. It was curious indeed.

"You never told me your name," Aija changed the subject ungracefully, yet Mathias went along with it.

"Mathias Kohler. Pleasure ta' meet ya'... wish it could have been under better circumstances."

"Likewi- ow, ow!" the girl squealed in pain, tugging her legs away from Mathias. He'd started wiping away what was left of the blood. "W-warn me next time..."

"Sorry, sorry... so touchy!" He grinned, but she glared, "Oh come on, don't be that way. Let me go get the bandage, I'll wrap your leg up, then we can get your arm all fixed up."

Emil was emitted from the hospital a few hours after he'd arrived. The police had come and questioned him, but it had gone smoothly... with some help from Lukas(who turned out to be a suspiciously good liar). They'd called a cab and were returning to the dorm now.

"Who is she?" Lukas inquired, not taking his eyes away from the hallway in front of them. Tilting his bandaged head up and staring at the ceiling, Emil answered.

"I don't know. I.. came across her. I don't know her."

"If you are lying to me, Emil, I will-"

"I'm not lying!"

"Emil, don't interrupt me. If you are lying, I'm reporting her to the school. The police know there's an unregistered gun out there, and she's bound to be caught sooner or later. I'm not letting you get involved."

"I won't get involved..." Emil trailed off, his gaze drifting low to the floor.

"You already are." They reached their dorm. Entering, they heard Mathias in the tiny kitchen, but found the girl nowhere in sight. Emil entered first, ushered in protectively by Lukas. Unsure of what to say to either of them- but having forgotten completely about their fight- Emil limped over and sat on the couch. Normally slouched and uncaring, he sat rigidly; he was nervous. No one was speaking.

Finally, Mathias piped up.

"I put her in my bed. Name's Aija. Lost of a lot blood, gonna take her to the school nurse tomorrow," his voice was uncharacteristically quiet, but while Emil should have felt anxious about that... he felt comforted.

"She goes to this school? You should have taken her back to her dorm. What did you do to the gun?"

"Put it in the safe. Hey- don't look at me that way! She said she'll explain everything tomorrow, but she could hardly keep her eyes open. ... I felt bad, Lukas!"

"Of course you did," Lukas sighed, then looked tense again. "It's pathetic."

"Resorting to name calling, Lukas?" Mathias grinned; he'd always been thick skinned. The two conversed, casually insulting one another for a while, while Lukas got as much information out of Mathias as he could. He still didn't trust the girl, Emil heard it in the tone of his voice. Emil didn't like to admit it... but he understood how Lukas felt. The girl had come out of nowhere, they'd never seen her before, and she had a gun... then a thought came to Emil.

Why _had _she shot at the people who'd hit them? Sure, they hit them... but what else had they done that would scare her into shooting at them? Had they tried to attack her..? Emil wondered how long he'd been unconscious, wondered what had happened in that short amount of time. It was so unclear, so hazy...

But finally, it hit him.

She was in trouble with the wrong sort of people. It hadn't been an accident, he wasn't supposed to have been there...

Drugs, maybe? What else could it have been? She didn't seem the type to do drugs, but then again, you never knew. Emil let out a frustrated sigh. He didn't want to think about it anymore. All he wanted to think about was his bed. He felt so exhausted, and then thought, maybe this is how tired the girl felt.

Mathias and Lukas found him asleep on the couch, head buried in a pillow. He hadn't made it to his bed.

He hadn't really tried.


	3. Chapter 3

When Emil awoke, he was still on the couch, a blanket had been put over him. Yawning and looking up, a dull pain in his forehead brought him back to the day before. He'd... been hit by a car, sent to the hospital, and now they were harbouring a girl with a gun, in Germany. ...Why did his life have to be so complicated?

Emil looked over at the tiny kitchen of their dorm(which was made up of a small stove, a sink, and a miniature fridge) and saw Mathias conversing with...

Her.

He hadn't noticed the day before how pretty her hair was. Brushed and clean now, full of curls, it swayed down to her legs. She had a bump on her nose, and her eyes were as blue as... well, something blue, like a stormy cloud. The girl was wearing a sweater a few sizes too large for her, it looked like one of Lukas'.

"Rise and shine, Emilosaurus. We've got some breakfast! Brought it up from the cafeteria!" Mathias greeted, noticing Emil string at the girl. He grinned widely, giving Emil a quick win. Emil felt his face heat up, and looked away. "Better come get it before it's out, Aija here eats more than she weighs"

"Excuse you!"

Mathias laughed, and just then Lukas emerged from the bathroom, a towel in his still wet hair. Lukas looked over at Mathias and Aija, then at Emil. Aija stared down at her feet, holding her hands in front of herself.

"What did you bring up?" Lukas asked in an attempt to break the awkward silence. It was to no avail, and the tension worsened.

"Uh... lets see, brought up a plate of bacon, some scrambled eggs, and a whole stack of pancakes!" Mathias replied, holding up a bottle of syrup and tipping it towards Lukas. There was another long silence; one could cut the air with a knife.

"I want pancakes," Emil piped up, his voice seeming to echo in the silence. And then... Mathias laughed. Aija covered her mouth and joined him; Lukas however just looked over at Emil. "... I just want some pancakes."

"Get yer lazy but up then!" Mathias said, grabbing a paper plate and throwing a few pancakes on it. Emil hadn't eaten breakfast in weeks, let alone spoken up to them so casually... Lukas was giving Emil a curious look, unsure of what to think.

"I only want the bacon, just the bacon, and can I put syrup on top of it?" Aija asked as Emil shuffled over to take his plate of pancakes from Mathias.

"Ya' got quite the odd taste there," Mathias said before moving out of her way to let her get to the bacon. "Do you put syrup on everything?"

"Only on breakfast foods, you have to eat plenty of breakfast so you can make it through the day. I usually have honey!" Aija chimed to him, picking a handful of bacon up and dropping it down on her plate. She took the syrup from Mathias and poured it over her bacon; when she looked up, she made eye contact with Emil for a moment. Both looked away instantly, and a self-conscious feeling filled them both... _why did I put syrup on it, now he thinks I'm weird... _Aija thought, cheeks flushing as she moved out of Emil's way.

"Hand me the syrup, I want to try that," Emil said, looking at Mathias as he took the syrup to put on his pancakes. Mathias slumped his shoulders.

"Let me just use it real qui-"

But Emil had swooped forward and nabbed the syrup. He grabbed a few pieces of bacon, then poured the syrup over it.

Aija had shuffled over to the couch and sat on the floor next to it, setting her plate on the table in front of her. Emil copied her, sitting on the other side of the table quietly. Neither of them spoke while Mathias and Lukas finished getting their breakfast. A raised eyebrow marked Lukas' face as he gave Mathias a less than friendly look. Mathias gave a nervous smile that said 'Well, at least he's eating!' was replied to with a frown that said 'I want her out of our dorm'.

After breakfast, Mathias was quick to gather Aija's things and place them in a bag for her. "You can return the shirt after school! Lukas won't mind! Look, I'll walk you back to your dorm so you can change. What's your first class?"

"First I have gym, it's over by the Eas-"

"The East Wing! That's where Emil's class is. Maybe you could-" Mathias cut himself short when Lukas gave him a glare. "Maybe you could... skip class and go to the nur...se's office! You need to rest!"

"Oh..." Aija said; she wasn't a stupid girl, and she didn't miss the looks between Mathias and Lukas. She felt it, Lukas didn't like her, and he had reason not to. She wasn't the most trustworthy, after all, she had a gun. She'd shot at people. And if he was smart, he'd probably figured out she had been up to no good. Aija sighed as she took her bag of things from Mathias' hand- it felt a bit heavier than it should. When she looked up to question it, Mathias put a hand on her shoulder and winked, leading her out the door.

Aija hadn't listened to Mathias' forced suggestion. She... sort of didn't like that Lukas figure, after all, he didn't like her, so why should she like him? Gym was a class she almost always skipped, and it wasn't a surprise Emil and her had never seen each other. The blonde girl always pulled her hair back up into a ponytail and braided it down her back, so it wasn't nearly as noticeable. Aija hated gym. She loved being active, but playing sports had never been her thing. She was small and had a tendency to get hurt more often than the other students. She liked things like hiking and swimming. Of course, she had a liking for ice hockey...

But today, she sat quietly in line while the teacher called roll. She noticed Emil closer to the end of the line, while she was somewhere up in the front. Aija waited for the teacher to give them instructions they were to team up and stretch first. Aija sighed and looked about the room, wondering if any of the other students would be willing... There was always Lilli, the girl from Liechtenstein that was only a tiny bit bigger than her and tended to work on the same level- but her older brother didn't like Aija, and told Aija to leave her alone. Aija sighed, she had a knack with making older brothers dislike her.

A tap on her shoulder made Aija turn, and there he stood. Emil. His face looked a bit- well, no, he looked really nervous.

"Hey, do you, uh- do you want to stretch with me?"

It felt like the entire gym was staring at them, and Aija stared in shock at Emil; hadn't his brother told him not to talk to her? She was sure that when Mathias had walked her back, Lukas would have given him a warning, told him to stay away from her.

Aija caught herself staring and finally nodded, hiding her clenched fists behind her back. Her heart had begun to race- it obviously was just adrenaline, remembering the accident with Emil. Nothing else.

"S-sure! I do not have a partner yet," Aija said, adding a small laugh at the end of her sentence. Ugh. She sounded stupid. That laugh, why had she done that? Looking away, Aija began to fumbled with her fingers. Neither spoke to each other while they waited for the coach to show them the stretches.

It was a painfullly awkward class. Emil had barely spoken, and in return, Aija hadn't either. She was not the most talkative person, and when she did speak she tended to be a bit rude... she didn't want to give Emil a reason to dislike her, so instead of trying to make what would have been the utmost awkward conversation, Aija stayed in silence.

Until lunch, neither Aija nor Emil saw each other(though she caught a glance of Mathias in the hallways between classes). They glanced at each other in the lunch room, but seeing Lukas behind Emil, Aija didn't stop to chat.

An apple, a bowl of soup, and a roll was all Aija put on her tray for lunch that day. The crowded lunch room never had suited her. Aija wandered out of the cafeteria into the hallways, then to art room. It was always unlocked, and always empty. Covered by clay dust and smelling a bit waxy, Aija knew it wasn't the ideal place to eat, but it was better than having a certain someone step on your toes as you tried to find a seat.

Half way through her meal, there came a knock at the door. No one entered. The rapping came again, and again. Aija finished a bite of her apple and finally got up. Had the door locked itself?

The colour drained her face when she opened the door.

Ivan. The bane of her existence ever since she'd joined the Academy. A thin lipped smile met her, violet eyes glinting down at her. Aija took a deep breath and a step back, looking for a way around Ivan. He was tall and bulky; she liked to call him fat, even if it wasn't true. They had never gotten along, and since the day they met, the only words between them word insults.

"I heard about the incident last night. A shooting! On school grounds! How terrible this is, hm?" Ivan cooed, a false fear in his voice. "Now whoever would have a gun on campus? Surely you are smarter than that."

"... I don't know what you're-"

"Da, you do. Do not lie to me," his voice lowered, and he leaned down. "Lets see. What are you hiding from me?" His large hand wrapped grabbed her shoulder, then yanked the uniform jacket off her shoulder. "Aha! What is this?" He jabbed the tightly wrapped wound on her upper arm, grinning when she flinched. "Oh, you poor little thing, why don't you tell Ivan exactly what happened!"

"I'd rather k-kiss a donkey's ass, you disgusting fat bi-"

"Tut tut, that's not how you speak to friends, you little brat. Why don't we talk this out calmly?" His smile never seemed to move. Ivan stood up and turned away from her for a moment, sighing. He reached for the door.

Click.

It was locked. No one would be able to come in and help her. Aija didn't not, under any circumstances, be stuck in any room with this guy. It was... terrifying. There was only one other way out: the window.

If there was one thing Aija was good at, it was running. She may have had short legs, but she was lithe and agile. Growing up with a twin brother, their tall cousin Toris, and a family friend from Estonia, she'd learned pretty young how to play rough, and how to get out of playing rough. Now, when someone three times your size had locked you in a room together, your best chance was to get out of playing rough.

Aija was to the window and had one leg out when Ivan caught up with her. She felt that cold hand wrap around her arm and pull her back into the building, but she fought with all the might a 5 foot tall girl could. Managing to hook her leg on the outside of the window, Aija tried to tug herself back into the room. Ivan grabbed her injured arm and pulled; Aija yelped loudly, tumbling back in the window. The hand pulling her in by her uninjured arm released her and covered his mouth, quieting her pained screaming. almost instinctively, Aija bit down as hard as she could on the Russian's hand. He let out a furious roar and dropped her. He muttered in Russian to her, placing one foot over her hand.

"You should learn to cooperate. Bad things happen to little girls who don't listen," he growled, leaning all his weight on her hand.

It took all her self control not to cry out in pain, but the tears rushed to her eyes regardless of her silence. Aija felt helpless, sprawled on the ground with a bleeding arm and a broken hand...

Ivan was gone when she managed to calm herself. The door to the art room had been left open, open to let anyone who passed see her pathetic figure. Aija heaved herself up, though her body felt heavy and ached. Her arm had left a puddle of blood on the ground, and was still dripping, though slowed, down her arm. Her hand had turned black and blue...

A bell rang, chiming a few times before the rush of footsteps filled the air. Aija didn't want to be seen like this; if she had already, they must not have cared enough to get the nurse. Now was the time to leave if she wanted to escape sight of her peers. The window was still open, and though it was difficult to pull herself up and out this time, Aija dropped to the grassy ground beneath it and hurried away. She didn't attend another class that day.

Emil heard about the bloody mess found in the art room. He couldn't get the notion out of his mind that somehow, Aija was tied to it. Mathias told him he just worried too much, and that she could hold her own. It had probably been a prank, but Emil didn't think so.

Lukas had left for a student council meeting when Mathias broke. The Dane didn't want to tell Emil where Aija's dorm was. Sure Lukas had warned him against it, Emil threatened to stop talking again if Mathias didn't cough it up. Reluctantly, Mathias gave up the information when Emil refused to eat dinner and stopped speaking. Grabbing a roll from the cafeteria before he left Mathias with Berwald and Tino at the table, he headed off to find Aija.

Her dorm was on the first floor of the Girls' Building. That meant she only should have one roommate, and the smallest dorm size. He bit his lip and contemplated going back to the cafeteria as he stood before her door, wondering if it was a good idea to come out of nowhere and ask how she was doing... was that a creepy thing to do? He stood there contemplating it for a good five minutes, frustration beginning to boil in him.

"Are you waiting for Aija?" asked a feminine voice, startling Emil. The Icelander jolted and turned around, only to face a girl with long brunette hair and curl jutting out at the side. He knew her... she was... what was her name again? She was in his English class... or at least, she was there half the time, and always late. "Well too bad. She's fucking busy. Go away."

"... I wanted to-"

"Check up on her? Make sure she's not telling your secrets to the whole school? Threaten her into giving you her wallet again? Look buster, I know your type, you're the kind that thinks he can step all over women, but I'll tell you what. If I see your mangy face around here again, I'll-"

"Liviana? Who are you talking to- E-Emil!" Aija's soft voice emerged from a crack in the door, which then opened widely. "Livi, you aren't harassing him are you, this isn't- he's not the one that- you know!"

"He sure looks like it..." growled the brunette, glaring at Emil.

"This might not convince you, but I've never stolen a wallet before..."

"Shut up! This doesn't concern you!"

"Oh Livi, he's really okay... Emil, e-er, did you want something?" Aija stepped out of the room. He looked her over carefully... she wasn't wearing her uniform, again. This time it was a light blue tank top with a pair of black sweats. That wasn't what caught his eye.

"Your hand. What happened?" Emil tried to stay calm, hoping not to set off Liviana again. Aija's hand was wrapped tightly in a stark white cast.

"It..."

"It's none of your business, so why don't you stop harassing her and leave us alone?" Liviana said, this time coming up to Emil and jabbing him in the chest. Suddenly, the girl blinked, staring at the bandage on Emil's forehead. "Hey, Ai, this isn't...? This is, isn't he!"

"Ja, ja! I was trying to tell you but you were-"

"God, he's shorter than I thought, where'd you find him?"

"Livi, please stop interrupti-"

"And his hair, I thought for sure he was that Iva-"

"Livi! You're doing it again!"

"...Sorry," the brunette finally stopped scrutinizing Emil, who breathed a sigh of relief. She was so critical, albeit a bit slow. "You there, Santa Claus, come inside. I have some questions for you."

"Me?" Emil asked. The girl gave him a look so full of sass Emil couldn't help but counter it, "Sorry, you're on the naughty list. I'm getting you coal this year."

"... Are you fucking serious-"

But Aija was laughing, and Emil felt the tiniest of smiles tugging at his lips. He was shoved into the dorm by Liviana soon thereafter, her cheeks burning red. He could tell by the cruel look on Liviana's face that she was going to question him. He was sure it was going to be about the accident, the shooting-

But oh how he was wrong.


End file.
